NuScale’s E2 Center offers hands-on learning opportunities to apply nuclear science and engineering principles in real-world simulated nuclear power plant operation scenarios

PORTLAND, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- NuScale Power announced today the opening of the world’s first NuScale Energy Exploration (E2) Center in Corvallis, Oregon. Alongside Oregon State University (OSU), this collaborative learning environment is a testament to the shared commitment to research, education, and public engagement spurred from a remarkable 20-year partnership between NuScale and OSU.

The E2 Center will offer users an exciting hands-on learning opportunity to apply nuclear science and engineering principles through simulated, real-world nuclear power plant operation scenarios. The E2 Center employs state-of-the-art computer modeling within a simulator of the NuScale small modular reactor (SMR) power plant control room, allowing users to take on the role of “control room operator” at a NuScale 12-unit SMR plant to learn about the groundbreaking features and functionality unique to NuScale’s SMR technology.

“As a co-founder of NuScale Power, I can attest to the enduring power of our partnership with OSU, and the spirit of innovation that has driven our collective success to date,” said Dr. José Reyes, NuScale Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer and Professor Emeritus in the OSU School of Nuclear Science and Engineering. “NuScale is extremely proud to open the E2 Center and it is our hope that this learning facility will foster collaborative problem-solving and creative solutions that inspire future energy pioneers for generations to come.”

“We are thrilled to continue extending the wonderful partnership we’ve had with NuScale over the years,” said Scott Ashford, Kearney Dean of Engineering at Oregon State University. “The E2 Center presents a remarkable training opportunity for students in our highly nationally ranked nuclear engineering program.”

Over the next several years, the E2 Center will yield significant opportunities not only for students, but also for researchers, operators, and members of the public to better understand small modular reactor technology. NuScale has the first-ever SMR to receive design approval from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. At the E2 Center, individuals can fully experience the real-life application of NuScale’s SMR, which will be ready for commercial operation by 2027. Additionally, the Center will also provide a platform for communicating the importance of carbon-free nuclear power for attaining a safe, clean, and secure energy future for the U.S. and the world.

The NuScale E2 Center at Oregon State University is the first of three planned installations of a NuScale power plant control room simulator at U.S. universities. These E2 Centers are supported by a 2019 U.S. Department of Energy grant to broaden the understanding of advanced nuclear technology in a control room setting and provide students, researchers, operators, and members of the public opportunities to engage in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) research and education. 

About NuScale Power

NuScale Power has developed a new modular light water reactor nuclear power plant to supply energy for electrical generation, district heating, desalination, and other process heat applications. This groundbreaking small modular reactor (SMR) design features a fully factory-fabricated NuScale Power Module™ capable of generating 77 MW of electricity using a safer, smaller, and scalable version of pressurized water reactor technology. NuScale's scalable design—a power plant can house up to 12 individual power modules—offers the benefits of carbon-free energy and reduces the financial commitments associated with gigawatt-sized nuclear facilities. The majority investor in NuScale is Fluor Corporation, a global engineering, procurement, and construction company with a 60-year history in commercial nuclear power.

NuScale is headquartered in Portland, OR and has offices in Corvallis, OR; Rockville, MD; Charlotte, NC; Richland, WA; and London, UK.